little bits of christmas

1. marlowe was not a fan of santa claus

2. the sweetest little reindeer for her first ornament

3. christmas pj's

4. remember this photo? the difference a year makes!

5. our tiny baby proof tree

6. some handmade family ornaments

7. this little book has the best illustrations

8. my mom made marlowe the sweetest ornament

9. christmas lights and christmas music all day every day

marlowe's birthday invites

i spent so much time on marlowe's birthday party invitations

and i'm so happy with how they turned out.

i've also been going crazy making banners

and garland

and spray painting gold everything i can get my hands on.

i still can't believe my baby is going to be one 

a month from today.

when you have a baby

everyone tells you to enjoy it

that it goes by too fast

that they'll be graduating high school before you can even blink.

and you laugh 

and say you know it

but it's true.

oh, it's true.

i can still remember marlowe's birth as if it were yesterday

but here she is about to turn one.

a whole year.

an entire trip around the sun.

she says mama

and papa

and bye-bye

and can sign for milk.

she still won't take bottles

she's so close to walking

and sleeps in her own crib now.

she is a stubborn little thing

and throws a tantrum like a full grown 3 year old

but oh how i love her.

she brings so much joy into our lives

and every morning 

when i see her for the first time

is like christmas.

every. single. day.

49/52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013"

flower child. she'll be a year old a month from tuesday.

48/52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013"

trimming the tree. she loves christmas, but i mean, she is my daughter after all.

47/52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013"

toes up on the highchair tray. always.

46/52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013"

the swings are her favorite. her eyelashes are mine.

45/52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013"

bath time is the best time. she crawls back and forth, from one end of the tub to the other, splashing and yelling.

a happy list

a happy list.

-watching marlowe's face as she listens to christmas music for the first time
-only 3 weeks until thanksgiving
-marlowe has been sleeping in her crib. in her room. all night. praise the lawd!
-working on birthday decorations for someone who will be one in two months…
-surprise weekend trips
-facetime with family that live states away
-hot apple cider
-a clean house
-this little family of mine. i love them so so much.

life lately

it's been a while since i've done a post other than a weekly portrait

because honestly

i can barely even find the time to do the portraits.

the days all run together and before i know it

it's november

and my baby is almost two months away from turning one.

marlowe is so wonderful.

she's in the 100th percentile for her height

and she crawls so fast

and pulls herself up on everything

and signs for milk when she's hungry.

my days are filled with chasing her around the house

listening and dancing to music

(i think bluegrass is her favorite)

pulling things out of her mouth that shouldn't be there

and nursing and cuddling.

motherhood has exceeded my expectations.

i love being her mama

and i feel like i was always meant to do this.

sure i get overwhelmed

and some days she's a little terror

but this life?

i wouldn't trade it for anything.

i wake up every morning

no matter how bad the night before was

and it feels like christmas.

44/52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013"

marlowe the puppy. the sweetest puppy there ever was. minutes after i took this photo we realized she had bitten a hole in the snickers wrapper and was sucking all the chocolate out. sneaky little pup.